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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. rest — a break
  7. wake — a trail
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to sink
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com